Power Consumers “Get Better Deal Today”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31590, 30 January 1968, Page 3

Power Consumers “Get Better Deal Today”

The electricity consumer got a far better deal today than did his forbears of 50 years ago, said Mr G. D. Stuart, manager of Hamer Electrical Company, Ltd, yesterday. On Saturday he celebrated his 50 years in the electrical industry. Mr Stuart said that early electrical appliances used to “fairly hog” electricity. Today, with modern science and technology, research and science, the consumer was continuously getting appliances that did a better job and consumed less power. Mr Stuart was president of Big Production The new Sadler’s Wells production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger” will be the largest in the theatre for some time. The theatre’s two companies will combine their choruses and orchestras, which means that there will be up to 150 people on stage and 85 in the pit The joint directors are Glen Byair. Shaw and John Blachley, and the conductor Reginald Goodhall.

The opera will be sung in English.

the Canterbury-Westland Electrical Wholesalers’ Association on several occasions. He is on the executive of the New Zealand Electrical Merchants’ Federation, and he was a foundation member of the Hamer Electrical Company. Mr Stuart said he could remember the old-type electric heaters that in the main employed long carbon tubular filament lamps. These were of more benefit to the supply authorities than to the user. Later came the bowl type heater with a cone-shaped element which was an improvement, but not much better. The early electric ranges from England were in appearance like the old gas ranges, mainly cast iron with open spiral type heating elements. Mr Stuart said that irons with wooden handles and shaped something like the flat iron of earlier days were among the early electric irons. They were single heat and had to be handled with caution to avoid scorching or burning.

Most of tne distant radio programmes were spoiled in the days of early batteryoperated sets by static and howls from other sets.